Tag archives for weird fiction

Octobernomicon, Oct 15: Wampus Cats

Wampus Cats, Greater Independent Race

Throughout the Appalachian region of the American Southeast, the chilling shrieks, of the Wampus Cat may be heard in the night. Bloodthirsty monstrosities, they seemed filled with a palpable anger and hatred. Wampus Cats are known to mutilate and butcher entire herds of livestock, not to sate any sort of hunger, but for the utter pleasure of it. Folklore says Wampus Cats were once witches, but were cursed with an unholy, bestial form as punishment for pursuing secrets no woman should know.
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Octobernomicon, Oct 14: Beast in the Cave

They were black, those eyes, deep jetty black, in
hideous contrast to the snow-white hair and flesh.
Like those of other cave denizens, they were deeply sunken in their
orbits, and were entirely destitute of iris.
As I looked more closely, I saw that they were set in a face less
prognathous than that of the average ape, and
infinitely less hairy. The nose was quite distinct. As we gazed
upon the uncanny sight presented to our vision, the
thick lips opened, and several sounds…sounds
uttered by the stricken figure that lay stretched out on
the limestone had told us the awesome truth. The
creature I had killed, the strange beast
of the unfathomed cave, was, or had at one time been a man!

– HP Lovecraft, the Beast in the Cave
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Octobernomicon, Oct 13: Chosen of Yig

Then the shadowed outlines began to take shape, and I perceived that the squirming entity bore some remote resemblance to a human form laid flat on its belly…as it looked up to hiss at me I saw that the beady little black eyes were damnably anthropoid…

— HP Lovecraft and Zealia Bishop, “The Curse of Yig”

Yig, Chosen of (Lesser Servitor Race)

The name given these beings is sarcastic, mocking their pitiful condition. The unfortunate souls known as the Chosen of Yig were once human, but angered the Great Old One in some fashion. Now they are something not altogether human or ophidian. Yig reserves this punishment for normal humans, those without any connection to his worship, or without the tainted blood of the Serpent People in their veins. The exact crimes that warrant such a punishment are unknown, though those who kill many snakes, or harm Yig’s servants and worshippers are sure to face the Snake-God’s wrath. Sometimes, the curse will not be visited on those who have angered Yig, but their children while they are still in the womb.
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Octobernomicon, Oct 12: The Innocents

The Innocents, Lesser Independent Race

Across the globe, cults dedicated to the various Great Old Ones and Outer Gods often sacrifice infants in their rituals. Often, the bodies are disposed of in garbage dumps, or in sewers. There are times when the sorrow, torment, anger, and fear experienced by these poor souls is so strong, it resurrects them. Returned to a mockery of life, these so-called Innocents only resemble infants in appearance. The gums and skin on their fingers have receded, leaving teeth and nails sharp. Those who have no teeth grow sharp, needle-like fangs. Their bodies are sickeningly bloated, their skin jaundiced and bruised. They prowl the places their bodies were dumped, barely able to walk, most often shambling about on all fours. Despite this, they are deceptively quick. Hideously, they mew, babble, and cry just as any normal infant. Motivated by a hatred for all life, and a constant hunger, they are ravenous cannibals, preying on unsuspecting humans.

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Octobernomicon, Oct 11: Great Uk’tena

Great Uk’tena, Avatar of Dagon

The Great Uk’tena is the god of the fresh-water deep-ones, and a manifestation of Father Dagon. It is sometimes referred to as the Keen-Eyed, for it is said it knows all secrets of waters and forests. It dwells in deep pools, murky lakes, and fast-moving rivers. Its body is something like that of an enormous eel, slick and slimy, glowing a fiery red. Its head is something of a cross between something ichthyian and something feline. Atop its head is a wickedly pointed ivory horn.
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Octobernomicon, Oct 10: Fresh-Water Deep One

Fresh-Water Deep One, Lesser Independent Race

We have heard of them as the Green-Clawed Monster of Evansville, the Thetis Lake Monster of British Columbia, and the Loveland Frogman. Every major river and lake in the world is home to at least one these deep-ones, adapted to life in the fresh-waters. They love solitary lives, having little contact each other, building no great cities, worshipping the Great Uk’tena alone. They are highly aggressive, and unlike their sea-dwelling cousins, they have no interactions with humanity, save to hunt us as food, or forcing themselves on an unwilling human to propogate their species.

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Octobernomincon, Oct 9: Beast of Land Between the Lakes

Beast of Land Between the Lakes, Greater Independent Race

Set in western Kentucky, and situated between the Kentucky and Barklay Lakes, Land Between the Lakes is one of the few true wild places remaining east of the Mississippi. Towns and old family farms are few and far between; there are many places in the 170,000 acres of dark, ancient forests that humans have never set foot in. There is much superstition about the area, tales of indian curses, vengeful ghost carrying out centuries old blood-fueds, and degenerate wild-men. It is also home to a ferocious and bloodthirsty monster known only as the Beast of Between the Lakes.
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Octobernomicon, Oct 8: Old Hags

Old Hags, Lesser Indepedent Race

Folklore says terrible old hags are responsible for the phenomena of night-terrors, a frightening experience where one wakes up in the middle of the night, to find paralyzed, and unable to breath with a crushing weight on their chest. Science has since explained the nature of this phenomena — the body waking during paralysis caused by REM sleep. While this is true in most cases, some night-terrors are indeed caused by encounters with the wraith-like beings. Belief in the Old Hags may be waning, but they have not forgotten us.
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Octobernomicon, Oct 7: The Smurl Poltergeist

The Smurl Poltergeist, Unique Entity

Named for the family it haunted throughout the seventies and eighties, the Smurl Poltergeist is a loathsome and violent entity, that delights in the agony it inflicts on human beings. The bestial spirit is known to have raked people with terrible claws, lifted and thrown them, and subjected its victims to repeated rapes. Though violent, it seems the entity does not seek to kill, but to torture and spread anguish.

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Octobernomicon, Oct 6: Resurrection Mary

She must have been so frightened all alone there in the night
There was something strange about her
her face was deathly white;
She sat so pale and quiet in the back seat all alone
I’ll never will forget that night I took Mary home.”

— John Duffy, “Bringing Mary Home”

Resurrection Mary, Unique Ghost

Just about everyone has heard the tale of the vanishing hitchhiker, and just about every town has their own version of the story. Perhaps the most famous of these is Chicago’s Resurrection Mary. Reports of Mary began in the 1930s, though sightings of a similar spirit haunting the same area stretch back to the 1800s.

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